Two Major Factors Behind the Recent Success for the Islanders

The New York Islanders walked into Vancouver last night and slapped the Canucks silly. There’s hardly any other way to put it. They outshot the Canucks 24-6 through the first two periods before essentially milking the clock down in the third period, allowing 20 third-period shots, mostly low-danger shots. The Islanders won 5-2; the game never felt close or in danger.

The team is 3-0-2 in their last five. They’re starting to heat up, so what’s behind the success despite the injuries?

Isaiah George’s Emergence:

Not so coincidentally, Isaiah George has played five games. He’s logged 19:28 per game on average, and the Islanders haven’t lost with him in the lineup. He’s played less on the road trip so far, mainly because the Edmonton Oilers and the Canucks are highly-skilled teams, and Head Coach Patrick Roy surely wanted to shelter him just a bit.

This Islanders team is seemingly turning a corner. Behind George’s emergence, the team rallied, collecting 8/10 possible points. Yes, there are still glaring issues. Blowing a 3-1 lead against the New Jersey Devils at home is flat-out unacceptable. But, in the next game, rallying from 3-1 down in Edmonton to steal a point? That’s gutsy and makes up for the home debacle.

George in the lineup has added a new dynamic to the roster. Dennis Cholowski has been passable at best. He’s likely the guy to come out when Alexander Romanov returns soon. I’ve been a bigger fan of Grant Hutton’s steady game—he’s made very few mistakes and is a +2 with one assist.

Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly are still far away from returning. Isaiah George has been better than any potential cheap addition could be. That’s been a big factor in the Islanders’ recent success.

The Offense Waking Up

This is also a team that’s finally getting some depth scoring—last night, Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield scored their firsts. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a power-play goal. Noah Dobson scored on an empty net. It all happened for the Islanders last night. Without Anthony Duclair and Mat Barzal, the offense is finding its footing.

Simon Holmstrom’s taking a step forward—he’s registered two goals and four points in his last five games, after he had just four points through the first 12. Engvall’s looked like a man on a mission since returning from his demotion to the AHL, and the third line of Engvall-Casey Cizikas-Holmstrom might well stay in place even when Duclair and Barzal return.

The second line has been nothing short of perfect for the Islanders. Maxim Tsyplakov, Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri have combined for 15 goals and 34 points through the first 17 games of the season. Nelson takes up the caboose of the line with only nine points in the first 17 games. Palmieri has 15 points through the first 17 games, and a tie for the team lead in goals with seven.

Anders Lee’s renaissance is another massive piece of the pie for the Islanders. He’s got seven goals in the first 17 after only scoring 20 the entirety of last season. Lee’s also third on the team in points with 13, trailing only Palmieri and Horvat.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau has also had an inspired start to the year, looking sharp in multiple changing roles from 3C to RW1. He’s got five goals and nine points in the first 17.